gute Arbeit
In German, "good work" is gute Arbeit.
gute Arbeit is used to praise someone for completing a task successfully. Using Gute Arbeit! as a standalone exclamation to praise someone can sometimes sound slightly formal or evaluative, similar to a supervisor addressing an employee.
Which one should you use?
While gute Arbeit refers to the quality of the work itself, the phrase Gut gemacht is a more common idiomatic way to praise someone's performance or a specific achievement, serving as the equivalent of "well done".
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase gute Arbeit, the adjective gut takes the -e ending because Arbeit is a feminine noun and is used here in the nominative or accusative case without a definite article.
Did you know?
- The word Arbeit shares an ancient root with the English word 'orphan'. They both stem from a Proto-Indo-European word meaning 'servant' or 'slave'.
- If you want to tell a child 'good work' in a more natural, spirited way, you might say Sauber! which literally means 'clean'.
- If you are very impressed by a job well done, you might use the colloquialism Spitze!, which literally means 'tip' or 'peak'.
Examples in context
- Du leistest gute Arbeit.You do good work.This sentence demonstrates the use of gute Arbeit to say someone does good work.Tatoeba #1907337 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1895775 by CK
- Gute Arbeit braucht Zeit.Good work takes time.This sentence shows gute Arbeit in the context of time requirements.Tatoeba #5902987 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #12208806 by sundown
- Leiste nur weiterhin so gute Arbeit.Keep up the good work.This sentence uses gute Arbeit to encourage someone to keep up their performance.Tatoeba #1657721 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1553417 by CK
- Gute Arbeit, Herr Schmidt. Ihre Präsentation war sehr überzeugend.Good work, Mr. Schmidt. Your presentation was very convincing.
- Gut gemacht, Lisa! Dein Artikel ist wirklich klasse.Well done, Lisa! Your article is really great.
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia reviews a project that Felix has just finished.
- JuliaIch habe mir deinen Bericht angesehen.I have looked at your report.
- FelixWie findest du ihn?What do you think of it?
- JuliaGute Arbeit, Felix!Good work, Felix!
- FelixVielen Dank, Julia.Thank you very much, Julia.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Arbeit, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
